HACKENSACK, New Jersey (WABC) — A Hackensack, New Jersey man woke up to a terrible surprise when his neighbor told him that his car was hit, leaving the vehicle totaled.
After a long fight to get reimbursed, he turned to 7 On Your Side for help.
A neighbor banged on Dexter Howard’s door with the bad news.
“I see a mess. I see my car smashed, pushed back,” Howard said.
His parked 2011 Chevy Equinox was heavily damaged.
“All this was smashed in. And this side was smashed in, and the airbag,” he said, describing the damage to his car.
In July, a multi-car, dark-of-night car accident happened, right in front of Hackensack Hospital, across the street from Howard’s home.
“She was speeding, she hit his car. And I guess she spun around and hit the pole,” he said, pointing at a nearby car.
Police say the driver that caused the crash sent another car careening into Howard’s. Both drivers were insured, but neither insurance company would cover the damage to the Equinox.
“Neither of their insurances were stepping up?” Nina Pineda asked.
“Neither one of them,” Howard said.
A letter sent to him by Plymouth Rock included the words, “…we cannot pay your claim because the other party is majority at fault for the accident.”
And the other driver’s insurance, State Farm, assessed the accident with only 20-30% negligence against its insured driver. In that letter, Howard was encouraged “…to reach out directly to his own insurance company,” leaving him stuck with zero dollars to buy a new car.
“I can’t afford another car,” Howard said.
Piling on the issue, Howard’s son is an amputee and often relies on his dad to drive him around.
“I go up to Newton, which is an hour away, take him to the laundromat, take him to the store, help him out with his needs, whatever he needs to do,” Howard said.
The Bergen County DPW worker had no choice but to borrow from his pension plan and buy another car.
“How much did you have to withdraw?” Pineda asked.
“$8,000,” he said.
Howard’s cousin, Shannon Gaddy, had a few choice words to say about Howard’s situation.
“You shouldn’t have to pay your hardworking money for someone else’s mistakes. I was mad. I said, ‘Cousin, I’m going to make this right for you,” she said.
It was Gaddy who gave him some rock-solid advice.
“I said, ‘You better call Nina Pineda,'” Gaddy said.
7 On Your Side contacted both of the other drivers’ insurance companies and asked them to get on the same team for Howard, and it didn’t take long for them to respond.
“Less than two hours,” Howard said.
“I love you! I love you,” Gaddy told Nina Pineda.
In a statement to ABC 7 from their public relations department, State Farm said, “While we are unable to discuss specific claim details due to our customer privacy policy, we understand that situations like this can be stressful. There are multiple parties involved here, and we are working on our end towards an appropriate resolution.
As the individual you are speaking with is not insured with us, we encourage him to reach out directly to his own insurance company. They will be best equipped to review his coverage and help him explore his options. Please know we’re here to support and assist our customers.”
As for Plymouth Rock, their statement said, “Following an independent review, we determined that our insured driver does not bear primary responsibility for the incident. Nonetheless, we worked to resolve the matter promptly for Mr. Howard by settling the total loss of his vehicle, arranging its removal from storage, and covering all related fees. As the other driver was determined to be primarily at fault, we will seek reimbursement through arbitration with that driver’s insurer.”
“Thank you 7 On Your Side. You do a wonderful job,” Howard said.
Howard received the fair market value of his car, $4,408.
“Wow! God is good. Thank you so much!” Gaddy said.
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